Cabiles v Cedo

Facts: Complainant Elibena Cabiles filed an administrative complaint before the Integrated Bar of the
Philippines (IBP) seeking the disbarment of Atty. Leandro Cedo for neglecting the two cases she referred
to him to handle.

Cabiles, engaged the services of respondent lawyer to handle an illegal dismissal case. Respondent
lawyer was paid Php5,500.00 for drafting therein respondents' position paper and Php2,000.00 per
appearance in the NLRC hearings. During the hearing only Danilo Ligbos, the complainant therein,
showed up. According to Cabiles, respondent lawyer misled them by claiming that it was Danilo who was
absent during the said hearing. Moreover Cabiles claimed that respondent lawyer failed to indicate his
Mandatory Continuing Legal Education (MCLE) compliance in the position paper and in the memorandum
of appeal that he prepared. Cabiles presented a certification issued on June 29, 2010 by the MCLE Office
that respondent lawyer had not at all complied with the first, second, and third compliance periods of the
(MCLE) requirement.
Anent the second case, Cabiles claimed that, despite payment of his professional fees, respondent
lawyer did not exert any effort to seasonably file her Complaint for unjust vexation before the City
Prosecutor's Office; that the Office of the City Prosecutor of Muntinlupa City dismissed her Complaint for
unjust vexation on the ground of prescription.
Respondent lawyer did not refute Cabiles’ claim that he failed to indicate his MCLE compliance in the
position paper and in the memorandum of appeal.
The IBP’s investigating commissioner found respondent lawyer guilty of having violated Canons 5, 17,
and 18 of the Code of Professional Responsibility and recommended his suspension for two years. Aside
from respondent lawyer's failure to comply with the MCLE requirements, the Investigating Commissioner
also found him grossly negligent in representing his clients, particularly (1) in failing to appear in the
NLRC hearing, and file the necessary responsive pleading; (2) in failing to advise and assist his clients
who had no knowledge of, or were not familiar with, the NLRC rules of procedure, in filing their appeal
and; 3) in failing to file seasonably the unjust vexation complaint before the city prosecutor's office, in
consequence of which it was overtaken by prescription.
The IBP Board of Governors reduced the suspension to one year.
Issue: Whether or not Atty. Cedo violated Canon 5 of the CPR when he failed to indicate his MCLE
compliance in the pleadings?
Ruling: The Court found Atty. Cedo guilty of having violated Canon 5 of the CPR and recommended his
one suspension. Bar Matter 850 mandates continuing legal education for IBP members as an additional
requirement to enable them to practice law. This is to ensure that they keep abreast with law and
jurisprudence, maintain the ethics of the profession and enhance the standards of the practice of law.
Non-compliance with the MCLE requirement subjects the lawyer to be listed as a delinquent IBP member.
In Arnado v. Adaza, the Court administratively sanctioned therein respondent lawyer for his non-
compliance with four MCLE Compliance periods, in accordance with Section 12(d) of the MCLE
Implementing Regulations, even if therein respondent attended an MCLE Program covered by the Fourth
Compliance Period, his attendance therein would only cover his deficiency for the First Compliance
Period, and he was still considered delinquent and had to make up for the other compliance periods.
In the present case, respondent lawyer failed to indicate in the pleadings filed in the said labor case the
number and date of issue of his MCLE Certificate of Compliance for the Third Compliance Period, i.e.,
from April 15, 2007 to April 14, 2010, considering that NLRC case had been pending in 2009. In fact,
upon checking with the MCLE Office, Cabiles discovered that respondent lawyer had failed to comply with
the three MCLE compliance periods. For this reason, there is no doubt that respondent lawyer violated
Canon 5.